How alcohol is harmful to health. The harm of alcohol to the human body

Those of us who enjoy the occasional "missed" glass of beer or glass of wine may be doing it exceptionally well. Maybe. Scientists have repeatedly questioned the fact that alcohol is harmful. And they have confirmed it more than once.

Scientific research and media

The mass media and the general public with might and main argue that a couple of glasses a day of this or that alcohol can even be beneficial to the body. But in fact, it is not so easy to find out whether the "enemy" of health is harmful or not in moderation. And what, in general, should be considered a moderate amount.

Early research

The great Archie Cochrane was one of the first to make the connection between alcohol consumption and health. This happened in 1979, when he and two colleagues tried to figure out what exactly is responsible for the growing number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases. The godfather of evidence-based medicine approached the issue in detail: after analyzing the statistics and conducting his own research, he came to the conclusion that the benefits of alcohol are not in itself, but in the antioxidants it contains. But still, in view of the fact that such experiments required expenditure and long-term, the absolute truth about alcohol was not revealed.

Eighties: new attempts

In 1986, researchers surveyed a group of more than 50,000 male doctors in the United States, inquiring about their drinking and food intake, medical history, and health status over two years. They found that the more alcohol consumed, the lower the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), despite the dietary habits of individual subjects.

Millennials: The Impact of Alcohol in a Y-Shape Addiction

Another large study published in 2000 showed a Y-shaped relationship ("U") between moderate alcohol consumption and - in this case - death, not coronary heart disease. Subjects who drank one standard serving of drinks a day showed a lower likelihood of death during the 5.5-year study than those who drank less than one serving per week or those who drank more.
This made it possible to assume that alcohol is beneficial only when consumed in a strictly established amount.

Are there really benefits?

In 2005, another study by medical professionals (this time 32,000 women and 18,000 men) tried to answer the question of how not only the risk of a heart attack, but also the physiology depends on alcohol. People who drank one to two glasses of alcohol three to four times a week had a lower risk of heart attack. The researchers identified this as the beneficial effects of alcohol on HDL cholesterol (called good cholesterol), hemoglobin A1c (a marker for diabetes risk), and fibrinogen, which helps blood clot. These three factors play an important role in the "metabolic syndrome" (a cluster of abnormalities that often portends cardiovascular disease and diabetes). Other studies have shown that alcohol can change the balance of these factors for the better.

Does it mean that teetotalers are at risk of health?

Everything is not as simple as it looks. In 2006, a team of experimental scientists paid close attention to how the early studies were designed. Their meta-analysis showed a significant flaw in the classification: people who stopped drinking because of poor health or age were selected as teetotalers. That is, these subjects may have been in worse condition than the general study group. In connection with this amendment, the results were revised, and no proportional relationship between alcohol and coronary heart disease was found.

Bad news

Whether or not alcohol contributes to death from cardiovascular disease, it is still harmful for a number of other reasons. The World Health Organization has reported that alcohol can increase the risk of depression and anxiety, cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, suicidal tendencies, violence, and increases the risk of accidental injury.

In total, there are over 200 diseases and injuries that can be alcohol-related, including 30 that are alcohol-related alone.

But the idea that moderate alcohol consumption can be beneficial hasn't gone away, and even alcohol-related organizations are reluctant to say that small amounts of alcohol may have protective effects against heart disease and some types of stroke.

Alcohol, when it enters the body, passes into the bloodstream very quickly, within a few minutes. Alcohol is mainly metabolized in the liver (approximately 93% alcohol), and excreted in urine, sweat and respiration.

Under normal circumstances, in a healthy person, this process can take from 3 to 24 hours (depending on the amount of alcohol consumed). The most famous consequence of alcoholism is the deterioration of the liver (hepatitis-steatosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer are not uncommon), the digestive organs suffer no less, which can lead to cancer of the esophagus or stomach.

Long-term alcohol abuse usually leads to impotence in men and infertility in women (fertility problems).

Every cell of the body, especially sensitive nerve cells, suffers from the toxic effects of alcohol, which leaves a number of serious and irreversible consequences.

Clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that alcohol abuse accelerates the process of atherosclerosis, leads to impaired circulation, and inadequate nutrition of every cell in the body. Alcohol can cause psychological dependence, even when taken irregularly in smaller quantities, and physical dependence occurs in people who regularly abuse alcohol.

The fact that alcohol is dangerous when consumed in excess is confirmed by the fact that more than 12 times more people die from it every year (about 3,000,000 worldwide) than from drug use (about 250,000).

It should be noted that alcohol consumed in the recommended quantities is not harmful to health, but, unfortunately, the vast majority of people drink it in quantities that significantly exceed the recommended standards.

Alcohol abuse is a complex problem, and some drinkers fall into three categories:

High-risk alcohol drinkers
... drinking alcohol in toxic amounts
... alcohol dependence.

Alcoholism is defined as "the inability to abstain from alcohol." A person who is dependent on alcohol feels a strong urge to continue drinking despite existing problems. No one is immune from the dangers that arise from excessive drinking.

The mental health risks of alcohol

Most alcoholic beverages contain ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, a neurotoxin, a substance that can damage or destroy the nervous system. Large amounts of ethanol can cause unconsciousness and death. The human body can reverse the harmful effects of ethanol, but this does not happen overnight.

For example, when the body cannot cope with excess alcohol consumption, it begins to significantly affect the functioning of the brain. In what sense?
Speech, vision, motor coordination, the ability to think logically, and behavior are associated with a series of complex chemical reactions that take place in the neurons of the brain. Ethanol alters the course of these reactions by decreasing or increasing the influence of certain neurotransmitters - chemicals that transmit nerve impulses from one neuron to another. This changes the flow of information in the brain so that it cannot function properly.

Thus, a person, under the influence of alcohol, cannot speak and think correctly, has blurred vision, and loses control over his behavior. These are all common symptoms of intoxication.

Changes in a certain chemical process take place in the human brain for a long time, which seeks to protect the brain and nervous system from the toxic effects of ethanol.

This develops alcohol tolerance, or addiction. Addiction occurs when the brain is so used to alcohol that it cannot function properly without it. The body requires alcohol to maintain chemical balance. When a person stops drinking, severe chemical imbalance and withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, tremors, and even seizures develop in the brain.

In addition to the pathological chemical processes in the brain, alcohol abuse can damage or destroy brain cells, thereby altering its physical structure. Although the brain can partially recover if a person stops drinking, some of its cells die off permanently, impairing memory and other mental abilities.

Liver disease and cancer.

The liver plays an important role in food degradation, fights infection, regulates blood flow, and also removes toxic substances from the body. Long-term alcohol consumption damages liver tissue in three stages. The first stage of ethanol decomposition slows down the breakdown of fats so that they accumulate in the liver. This disorder is called steatohepatitis, or fatty liver.

Over time, a chronic liver disease occurs - hepatitis. Alcohol can also reduce the body's resistance to hepatitis B and C viruses. If hepatitis is left untreated, liver cells begin to die. To make matters worse, alcohol activates a natural mechanism of programmed cell death called apoptosis.

The last stage is liver cirrhosis. Irreversible liver damage occurs due to a series of severe inflammation and cell destruction. Eventually, the liver ceases to be spongy, the scar tissue prevents blood flow, leading to liver failure and death.

There is also another hidden danger - the weakening of the ability of this organ to protect the body from carcinogenic substances. In addition to developing liver cancer, alcohol significantly increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. In addition, alcohol allows the carcinogenic components of tobacco to more easily penetrate the mucous membranes of the mouth, so that smokers who drink face a high risk of developing cancer.

Women who drink alcohol on a daily basis are at risk of developing breast cancer. According to one study, women who drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day have a 69% higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Fetal alcohol syndrome.

It is especially unfortunate that alcohol abuse during pregnancy can harm the unborn child during embryonic development. Alcohol causes irreversible damage to the central nervous system, there is a violation in the formation of neurons. Some cells die and some of them develop in the wrong place.

As a result, fetal alcohol syndrome is the most common cause of mental retardation in children. Children who suffer from this syndrome are lagging behind in development, it is more difficult for them to learn to speak, because of physical and mental developmental delays, they have hearing and vision impairments. Many babies are born with various facial deformities.

Even if the mother drinks moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy, the baby may have certain disabilities that can negatively affect behavior and learning ability.

How much alcohol is not harmful to health.

Alcohol can threaten human health in many other ways. How to determine how much alcohol is not harmful to health? Today, millions of people around the world occasionally consume alcohol in what they believe to be in moderation.

But how is this moderation defined?
However, studies show that in Europe one in four people drink alcohol in quantities that are considered hazardous to human health.

Various sources specify moderate alcohol consumption - 20 grams of pure alcohol (or two standard doses of alcohol) per day for men and 10 grams (or one standard drink) for women. According to the World Health Organization standard, 10 grams of pure alcohol is 250 ml of beer, 100 ml of wine.

French and British medical experts recommend a "reasonable limit" of three alcoholic drinks per day for men and two drinks for women.

A bottle of beer 0.5 l (5% alcohol).
... Alcoholic drinks (cognac, whiskey, vodka) - 50 ml (45% alcohol).
... A glass of wine 250 ml (12% alcohol).
... 100 ml of liquor (25% alcohol).

However, everyone's body is different and even a small amount of alcohol can harm some. For example, people who suffer from mood and anxiety disorders can be harmed by even a moderate amount of alcohol. It is necessary to take into account the age of the person, his physique, disease and health.

If you drink alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach, your blood alcohol concentration reaches its highest level within about half an hour. Even a small amount of alcohol can impair the ability to drive a vehicle. Alcohol impairs vision. Road signs seem smaller. The field of view is narrowed and the ability to assess distance and focus on distant objects decreases. The brain processes information more slowly, reflexes slow down. Do not drive under the influence of alcohol.

Is alcohol addiction hereditary?

In an attempt to find a cure for alcoholism, scientists are investigating the influence of genes on the development of alcohol dependence. So far, they have discovered several genes that influence the development of alcohol dependence. But this is not the only risk factor. Even if someone has a certain genetic predisposition, this does not mean that he will become an alcoholic.

The environment can also play an important role. Factors such as poor parenting education, alcohol abuse in the family, communication with people who drink alcohol, conflicts with other people, emotional difficulties, depression, aggressiveness, dependence on any other drugs can contribute to the development of alcohol dependence.

The benefits of red wine.

Scientists believe that certain substances in red wine (polyphenols) inhibit the action of substances that cause narrowing of blood vessels.
In addition, alcohol tends to be associated with high levels of so-called good cholesterol and reduce the concentration of a substance that can lead to blood clots.

But it appears that red wine can only be beneficial if consumed in moderation.

Otherwise, it can lead to hypertension, stroke, and can cause pulmonary edema and cardiac arrhythmias. Too much red wine will nullify any beneficial effects on the heart and circulatory system

Alcohol is a tricky thing: on the one hand, a glass of beer is simply an irreplaceable remedy for overexertion after a hard working week. But on the other hand, it is an invisible, but quite tangible blow to health, striking the most vulnerable parts of our body.

About seven reasons why you should give up alcoholic beverages and how they can harm your life - further in our article.

1. A blow to the cardiovascular system. As soon as alcohol enters the body, the heart begins to increase in size (beer is especially tricky). Numerous scars appear on the tissues of the heart, which are the culprit of a heart attack and can lead to death.

2. Clouded mind... It is not for nothing that alcohol is considered a type of narcotic substance: alcoholic beverages have a euphoric effect on the psyche, the duration of which ranges from an hour to an hour and a half. Soon after, a person falls into a depressive state, accompanied by aggression and attacks of panic fear. Reactions decrease, clear thinking in such a situation is out of the question. It is for this reason, as you know, drivers should not drink: drunk driving can end in the most deplorable outcome.

3. Destruction of brain cells. Even a small amount of alcohol (yes, half a glass of wine also applies here) destroys several thousand neurons without the possibility of recovery. The alcohol contained in alcoholic beverages provokes the adhesion of erythrocytes - red blood cells: the latter clog the microcapillaries, leading to the death of neurons from oxygen starvation. Cells that have died in an unequal battle with alcohol are excreted in the urine.

4. Development of chronic diseases. Doctors equate the effect of alcohol with a slow poison: the decomposition products of alcohol destroy the body in the literal sense of the word. A person who regularly drinks alcohol, over time, increasingly begins to feel unwell, his mental and physical activity is noticeably reduced, and apathy comes to replace them. Long-term alcohol dependence is the key to the development of such dangerous chronic diseases as pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, cirrhosis, heart attack and a host of other insidious diseases. Not the most promising prospect, is it?

5. Poor heredity. Alcohol makes changes in the structure of the genetic code of DNA - it is it that contains information about a person and his descendants. Scientists have long concluded that 90% of children with mental disabilities and congenital disabilities are born to people who abuse alcohol.

6. Indecent behavior. We are sure that you have seen more than once what a drunk person is like: alcohol affects the moral centers of the brain, in connection with which his further behavior becomes absolutely unpredictable. At best, it all ends with a peaceful snooze in a secluded corner. At worst, uncontrollable aggression, outbursts of anger and other unpleasant things that a person would never allow himself when sober.

7. Hole in the budget. The prices for alcohol (especially good ones) are considerable, and regular drinking of your favorite alcoholic beverages often costs a lot of money. In addition, people who have begun to experience alcohol dependence do not stop at one bottle: the more the head gets drunk, the more drink will be bought. Even a banal watching of a football match is almost never complete without a few cans of beer - let alone a picnic with a company, fishing or a birthday party. If you calculate how much this leisure costs, you really want to save this money for more reasonable purposes (invest in a trip or, for example, please yourself with a new gadget).

As you can see, there are many reasons to touch alcohol as rarely as possible, or even refuse it altogether. Yes, alcohol has a relaxing effect. Yes, it loosens and removes internal clamps. But the harm that the body receives in parallel negates the already small benefits. In addition, you can relax in other ways - yoga, swimming, hot bath, sauna, massage, or a leisurely walk in a calm green park are the best helpers in this matter. Take care of your own health now, and in the future you will have many times more chances of avoiding a hospital bed and a host of other unpleasant “bonuses” acquired over the years of drinking.

Many people have made alcohol a part of their lives, sincerely believing that this is the only way to relax, cheer up and have a good time. But only a few conscious people know that alcohol is a kind of drug that, penetrating into the body, has a detrimental effect on the work of all vital organs and systems, which is why it is necessary to realize the seriousness of the situation and exclude the systematic consumption of alcohol in time.

Each person should fully understand what alcohol consumption is fraught with, then, perhaps, the desire to drink will immediately disappear. If we consider the moral and ethical side, then in a state of intoxication, a person loses the ability to control his own actions, movements and speech, thereby, committing insane acts, becomes a victim of accidents. In addition, alcohol consumption disrupts the process of personal growth, but the process of complete degradation spontaneously proceeds.

Significant harm to health

The use of ethyl alcohol in unlimited quantities also harms human health, often causing a threat to life. Such a chemical compound is especially dangerous for the heart, lungs, liver, digestive and nervous systems. In addition, it aggravates the course of diseases already existing in the body and contributes to the spread of mental and intellectual disorders.

Indeed, the activity of ethanol can lead to a complete imbalance, but in the first place the nervous and cardiovascular systems "suffer". Weakened muscles, diabetes, blood clots in blood vessels, a shrunken brain, an enlarged liver, diseased kidneys, depression, impotence, stomach ulcers - all these are constant diagnoses of eternal alcoholics, and most of these pathological phenomena cannot be completely cured.

The liver suffers greatly from alcohol intake, since tissue damage entails serious pathologies in its work. Cirrhosis of the liver develops, alcoholic hepatitis is present, and such diagnoses as bacterial peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal cavity with possible bleeding) and ascites (accumulation of excess fluid in the abdominal cavity) are also possible. Hormonal disturbances are also possible, as a result of which the sad consequences for the body are already irreversible.

Alcohol behavior in the human body

The initial portions of ethyl alcohol after penetration into the gastrointestinal tract, rapidly dilate the vessels, provoking an accelerated secretion of gastric juice. However, an increase in the doses drunk leads to more global anomalies: there is a delay in the release of juice, as a result of which the food stays in the stomach not 2, but 10 or more hours, while beginning to decompose intensively. This is what causes attacks of nausea and vomiting, unpleasant belching and pulling pain in the stomach.

Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol:

• harmful to the heart, lungs, liver, digestive and nervous systems;
• complicates the course of existing diseases;
• aggravates mental and mental disorders;
• leads to accidents. (In the emergency room of any hospital, you can be sure that many get there as a result of accidents caused by intoxication.)

Harm to the heart and lungs

Alcohol abuse causes heart disease and increases the risk of lung disease. Alcoholics are particularly prone to:

• arrhythmias;
• chronic lung disease;
• hypertension;
• tuberculosis;
• pneumonia.

Liver damage

With alcohol abuse, you may experience:

• alcoholic hepatitis - a type of liver inflammation;
• cirrhosis, or destruction of liver cells;
• fatty liver, in which its cells are filled with fat.

Harm to digestion

Alcohol abuse is the cause of many diseases of the digestive system, including:

• gastritis;
• esophageal carcinoma;
• inflammation of the pancreas;
• varicose veins of the esophagus, i.e. dilated veins in the esophagus, which can cause bleeding and lead to death;
• stomach ulcers and bleeding in the digestive tract; I have poor absorption of nutrients.

Damage to the nervous system

Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to:

• alcoholic hallucinations;
• alcoholic delirium (delirium tremens, delirium tremens), which causes hallucinations, tremors, sweating, fever, increased heart rate;
• korsakov's syndrome - irreversible memory impairment associated with a lack of thiamine (vitamin B,) due to alcohol abuse;
• convulsions (convulsions);
• bleeding in the meninges;
• wernicke's encephalopathy, a type of brain degeneration caused by a lack of thiamine;
• beriberi - a disease caused by a lack of thiamine, leading to paralysis, exhaustion, indigestion, edema and heart failure.

Mental and mental disorders

Long-term alcohol use is associated with:

• depression;
• lack of motivation;
• failures in work and social life;
• drug abuse;
• suicide.

Other complications

Alcohol abuse can be the cause of:

• low blood sugar;
• leg ulcers;
• inflammation of the prostate;
• congenital alcohol syndrome (in children of alcoholics), which causes stunting, mental retardation and facial deformities;
• life-threatening interactions with medications, even those sold without a prescription.

Drinks harmful to health

Human health is harmed not only by vodka, but also by wine and beer, even in relatively small doses. The content of ethanol in such drinks causes memory impairment, lethargy, decreased physical strength, slowness of movement, and shortness of breath appears, emotions disappear, mental and volitional abilities decrease. This effect in the body lasts for several hours, in addition, alcohol dependence occurs from these drinks.

The harm of alcohol for expectant mothers

Drinking alcohol, even in small amounts, during pregnancy significantly increases the chance of pathological childbirth, and babies are born premature, low in weight, with internal organ defects and external deformities. Such pathologies, caused by the presence of alcohol syndrome, are practically impossible to heal, which is why future mothers should think about the health of their baby every time if they want to drink alcohol.

Many people use it, but do you know what alcohol does harm? Most people who drink do not even know how alcohol is harmful to health.
There is not a single organ that has not been subjected to its destructive action. But the worst damage it does to the brain. Any alcohol-containing drink contains alcohol; when it enters the body, it is absorbed into the bloodstream, through it it enters the brain and begins to destroy it. And if smoking is simply harmful to health, then alcohol kills you completely.

How alcohol is harmful

Everyone knows that alcohol is an excellent solvent. Probably many people have a bottle of industrial alcohol at home. And everyone wiped the paint off their clothes with alcohol. But in the body, alcohol behaves exactly the same! This undoubtedly confirms the fact that alcohol is harmful to health!
This is what happens when alcohol (let me remind you, any alcohol contains alcohol) into the body: in a normal state, our blood cells are surrounded by a thin film of fat, which prevents them from sticking together. But alcohol destroys this film, causing our blood cells to clump together. Such clots cannot move through the capillaries. Blood clots overlap the arterioles, which have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the clot, and completely stop the blood flow in it, that is, the blood supply to individual groups of neurons in the brain stops, here is the culture of drinking. And that's not all that alcohol harms our health with.
From the fact that oxygen ceases to flow to the cells of the brain, hypoxia begins, the so-called oxygen starvation. It is she who is perceived by a person as a state of intoxication, a feeling of freedom and euphoria. And this leads to "numbness" and death of parts of the brain.

Alcohol is harmful to health

Our brain contains fifteen billion nerve cells. Each cell is fed with blood by its own microcapillary. But when an alcoholic gluing of erythrocytes approaches him, it clogs him, it takes about 8 minutes and the next brain cell of a human neuron irrevocably and forever dies. The consequence of every drink is thousands of dead brain cells. When opening the skull of a drinking person, there is always the same picture, a shriveled brain that has decreased in volume. Scarred by alcohol. Remember, alcohol is harmful to health and brings a lot of evil to people, it is enough to remember about